Ever wonder what exactly does Independent Living mean vs. Assisted Living?  Retirement Living? Memory Care? Skilled Care?  CCRC? Does this all seem confusing?  If you are looking for a senior community some of the wording and titles of communities can be a bit overwhelming.  City Center Village is considered an “Independent Living” community.  However, many retirement/senior living communities have a variation of amenities to offer.  City Center Village offers a complete array of services such as all meals, housekeeping, recreation, utilities, phone/cable/internet, fitness room, pool, on site beauty shop, local transportation, laundry, 24/7 on site staff, etc….  How does this differ from an assisted living community?  In the state of Alabama, an assisted living community is licensed by the Alabama Department of Public Health.  These communities are staffed with “care associates” and some have nurses.  These are licensed communities to provide assisted living.   In independent living communities, (closest to like living in your own home)  residents can age in place with the assistance of home health providers.  Most, such as our community, offer 24/7 on site staff but not of which conduct care services.  They are “service providers” but not “care” providers.  It pays to visit these communities and judge for yourself what type of community best fits your needs.  There are also “memory care” options in licensed assisted living/specialty care communities.  These are best for severely memory impaired residents that are at risk to wander not realizing what danger they may be in or where they are and with a diagnosis of Alzheimers disease.  These facilities are required by the ADPH to provide safety ensuring that residents cannot wander from the community and must have a specialty care license.   Another option for Seniors requiring 24/7 “nursing” or “skilled” care would be licensed nursing homes.  These homes offer around the clock skilled nursing services and are for residents with severe care needs.  Finally you may ask what is a CCRC or Congregate Care Retirement Community?  These are multi care level communities offering independent, assisted, memory and or skilled care (nursing) on one campus.

We hope this post helps you with determining your options or your family member’s options when seeking retirement living.